Choir - main

Main Choir

St Mary and St Michael's Garstang - Main Choir


Beautiful expression in music is a normal, essential element of liturgy though the rationale behind this cannot be put into a few simple words. Music helps us to express our emotions, filling a void, which intuitively we know to exist.


The present choir has evolved over the past 20 years, always motivated by the desire to enhance the liturgy throughout the church’s year; involving not only the Sunday Masses and Sacraments but the great liturgies of Lent, Easter and Christmas.


Our members have increased steadily in number, now amounting to twelve. We meet for preparation and practice every Wednesday evening with a palpable enthusiasm for maintaining a choral nucleus, in order to encourage congregational singing. We do have an extensive repertoire of liturgical music and have successfully met the challenge of the changes necessary following the introduction of the new Roman Missal.


Following the Second Vatican Council (1962 - 1965) the bishops of the USA issued a statement which well describes our 'raison d’être':

“Music should assist the assembled believers to express and share the gift of faith that is within them and to encourage and strengthen their interior commitment of faith. It should heighten the texts so that they speak more fully and effectively. The quality of joy and enthusiasm which music adds to community worship cannot be gained in any other way. It imparts a sense of unity to the congregation and sets the appropriate tone for a particular celebration. Music can also unveil a dimension of meaning and feeling, a communication of ideas and institutions which words alone cannot yield.”